Naval Academy investigating alleged sexual assault

The U.S. Naval Academy is investigating allegations that three football team members sexually assaulted a female midshipman at an off-campus house more than a year ago, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday, and a lawyer for the woman says she was "ostracized" on campus after she reported it.

The Pentagon did not make public the names of the players, and the school's athletic director referred questions to a Naval Academy spokesman, who said the Annapolis military college's leaders were monitoring the investigation but declined further comment.

Navy criminal investigators have concluded their work and submitted a report with additional corroborating evidence to Naval Academy Superintendent Michael Miller, who closed an investigation into the same allegations last year without charges, said Susan Burke, a lawyer for the female midshipman.

"The entire (Naval Academy) community knows about this," Burke said in an interview.

The nation's military academies have struggled for years with sexual assault and harassment allegations, and a string of sexual assault cases has recently drawn attention in Congress and at the Pentagon and The White House. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the chiefs of each military branch are scheduled to testify next week at a Senate hearing, and President Barack Obama addressed the problem of sex assaults in the military while giving the Naval Academy commencement address.

Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren confirmed the investigation of the midshipmen Friday but said he had no further details. He said academy officials are evaluating options for adjudicating the case. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is determined to stamp out the problem, Warren said.

The alleged assault occurred in April 2012 at an off-campus house in Annapolis. According to Burke, the woman woke up with bruises after a night of heavy drinking and later learned from friends and social media that three football players - whom she considered friends - were claiming to have had sex with her while she was intoxicated and blacked out, Burke said.

The woman reported the allegations to Navy criminal investigators and was disciplined for drinking while the athletes, one of whom discouraged her from cooperating, were permitted to continue playing, Burke said. The female midshipman remains a student in good standing.

"The institution sent her a message loud and clear about its values," she said.

The Navy agreed to reopen the investigation this year after the woman sought legal help, Burke said. The new investigation involved wiretapped conversations that Burke said further substantiated her account. She said the scheduled graduation of one of the three students was put on hold because of the allegations, while the other two were not scheduled to graduate this year.

Naval Academy spokesman Cmdr. John Schofield declined to respond to Burke's statements, saying in a statement, "It is completely inappropriate to make any other public comment on this investigation or any ongoing investigation as we risk compromising the military justice process."

Roxanne Melgar, clinical director for Turnaround, an organization that helps women who have been sexually assaulted, said the accusations highlight a much bigger picture, especially when it comes to reporting sexual assault.

"Unfortunately, I'm not surprised," she said. "I think more and more we're going to be hearing these type of stories."

A recent Defense Department survey showed that unreported cases of sexual assault in the military rose from 19,000 to 26,000 cases.

Melgar said it can be very difficult to get military members to come forward because of the atmosphere.

"If you're in an environment where the perpetrators are with you every single day -- they have access to you, ways of intimidating you -- the person is not going to come forward," Melgar said.

Copyright 2013 by WBALTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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